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This paper aims to use quantitative metrics to chart the unique history leading to Brazil’s leadership in renewable energy and identifies a set of meta-scenarios that define possible future carbon performance. These meta-scenarios provide a context for discussing specific energy policy implications both at the national scale and from the perspective of Brazil’s urban centres.

The paper defines and uses three metrics – energy efficiency, decarbonisation and carbon efficiency – to plot both Brazil’s historic energy pathway and a set of future energy scenarios put forth by various national and international energy agencies. The authors then use a meta-scenario approach to group these alternate pathways, identifying specific policy levers associated with the realisation of each.

The authors identify plausible policy changes that will help move Brazil off a current trajectory of stagnated energy performance to a “greener” scenario in which carbon efficiency improves even as Brazil’s economic growth continues. Such policies include energy efficiency programmes and continued expansion of the country’s already extensive hydropower and biomass capacity. Adoption of policies that would put Brazil on a more aggressive path towards a global sustainability scenario currently seems impractical.

This paper brings a standardized set of metrics to bear on Brazil’s unique energy history, which in turn helps identify specific policy impacts for continued GHG reduction in Brazil’s future from national and urban perspectives.

The purpose of this paper is to create ways of improving the alignment of strategy formulation and implementation in Brazil’s higher education institutions (HEIs).

Evolution of scenarios and models through a 12-step process to assist strategy formulation and implementation for managerial/social activity in Brazil’s HEIs. Simple set theory was used as a backbone to assist scenario building. Two models were created. First, focused on an autopoietic model relating to Brazil’s HEIs. The second embedded the autopoietic model in a limited number of forces in Brazil that influence the HEIs but lie beyond their control. The process was corroborated by survey methods using respondents from Brazil and elsewhere.

In total, 22 respondents from within and outside Brazil confirmed the content of the scenarios while a small sample from within Brazil’s HEIs confirmed their usefulness in assisting strategy formulation and implementation.

Further experience in using the autopoietic model is needed to widen its corroboration beyond experience in this study.

Confirmation of a 12-step scenario-based process for strategy formulation and implementation and corroboration of its usefulness through a limited sample of respondents.

This chapter provides an overview of how, from a multi-stakeholder approach, Brazil can recover, fight against climate change and build an inclusive and sustainable future for itself. The interdependencies of the climate change action and current COVID-19 pandemic are discussed through extensive secondary data research to provide an updated context on Brazilian initiatives or the lack thereof. Through a multi-stakeholder methodological approach, the response and recovery actions of Brazil's government are assessed and future scenarios are developed for the country.

This disguised case aims to describe a scenario planning project to improve decision making for a manufacturer operating in Brazil's confusing, unpredictable politico‐economic environment. “BrasilAuto's” management team faced a range of complex choices related to capacity, vehicle mix, pricing, distribution, dealer relationships, exports, labor and government relations.

The consultants used a combination of scenario planning and quantitative analysis to answer the company's two key questions: where is the country headed and how many vehicles can we expect to sell, looking across a range of business environments?

As a result of the scenario exercise, company execs had a better idea of what to watch for in the political sphere and how to anticipate the actual market impact of changing economic policy options. Having looked at the range of plausible business environments hard and carefully, their uncertainty was significantly less unsettling or paralyzing than it had been.

The consultants discuss the lessons learned – for the client and for improving the process.

It's rare to have an insider's view of a scenario process that attempts to produce both quantitative and qualitative insights into a range of distinctly different political/economic futures and their impact on an industry.

The purpose of this paper is to present a hybrid modelling that combines concepts and techniques for scenario building together with a Multi-criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) outranking approach. The paper presents a case to illustrate the proposed methodology.

The research method is a qualitative and quantitative mixture and it is presented as a study case. Bibliographic research is used to construct the theoretical framework. There are a number of studies that develop a sensibility analysis in MCDA modelling; however, none of them explore the robustness of the MCDA solution with use of scenarios variation.

The methodology allows the criteria that must be taken into account, according to the decision makers’ values and preferences. It is interesting to note that, depending on the scenario, different weights were applied for each criterion, and the performances of alternatives under each criterion has changed as well.

This need arises in decision problems that are susceptible to the influence of scenario variation.

This proposal was applied to a real case that has taken into account six alternatives, with a prospective analysis of three scenarios, evaluated by four criteria. The authors use prospective scenarios to choose the criterion weights and alternatives evaluation.

Strong growth and social progress have made Brazil one of the world’s leading economies over the past three decades, but Brazil remains a highly unequal country with an urgent need for reforms to sustain and continue development with inclusive growth. This chapter introduces sustainable foreign direct investments (FDIs), which can be tools to promote sustainable development and improve the living conditions of all Brazilians, thus representing entrepreneurship for social change in Brazil. Although there is a large recognition that FDIs might pave the way for sustainable development, it does not happen in an automatic way and, in this chapter, some instruments are presented as pathways for achieving that aim in Brazil. First, it analyses the scenario of inequalities in Brazil and a call for more sustainable private investments to achieve social inclusion. Next, it introduces the state of the art of Brazil’s framework and legislation on sustainable FDIs. Last, it presents initiatives on financing and promotion of sustainable development in Brazil. This chapter comes to a conclusion that Brazil has taken the first steps, but much more has to be done in order to effectively introduce sustainable FDIs as entrepreneurial tools for social inclusion, reduction of inequalities and better conditions of life for all Brazilians.

This paper aims to describe how the technology forecast process occurs at a technology-based company named Daiken, a Brazilian electronics industry, located in the state of Parana. The study helps to clarify the context that tech-companies in Brazil face when trying to forecast new technologies.

The paper opted for a case study, in a qualitative and descriptive approach. Primary data were collected through a semi-structured interview and non-participant observation. Secondary data were generated through documentary research.

Outcomes indicate that, for the studied case, technology forecast practices are adopted in an informal and unsystematic way, best aligned to the nature of competitive intelligence.

Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the propositions further.

The paper includes implications for the adjustment of technology forecast tools to the reality seen in emergent nations like Brazil.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how to conduct the technology forecast processes in small and mid-tech-companies in Brazil.

This chapter applies the new heterogeneous firm CGE model of Caliendo and Parro (2009) to determine what the Ricardian gains are from changing partners for members of a trade bloc. We focus on the MERCOSUR case, using a model with 48 sectors and 5 countries. Motivated by recent policy discussions, we quantify Uruguay's trade and welfare effects from signing a Free Trade Agreement with the United States and leaving MERCOSUR. We find positive welfare effects for Uruguay from bilaterally reducing tariffs with the United States. Most of the gains come from having access to lower-cost intermediate inputs for production. We then consider the policy experiment of bilaterally eliminating tariffs between all members of MERCOSUR and the United States. We find that Uruguay has the largest gains, while Argentina and Brazil do not benefit much. This chapter also illustrates how new models are a promising tool for the analysis of trade.

The purpose of this article is to develop a methodology for the identification of a desired normative scenario, acceptable and feasible, based on a set of prospective scenarios.

This paper presents strategic alliances as one fundamental tool in the process of constructing the future. The alliances are based on prospective scenarios, within strategic interactions.

The central key is the view of the most probable future as a NASH balance point. This point identifies not only a balance of forces, but also the negotiation limits for each actor and therefore the strategic alliances possible. The alliances, if achieved, create a “super actor”, destabilizing the original balance, and creating a new balance point, and therefore a more likely new future.

This article develops a methodology for the identification of a desired normative scenario, acceptable and feasible, based on a set of prospective scenarios.

The study aims to explore the relationship between the SDGs and the environmental and social impacts of university classes. It evaluates the potential contributions of different teaching models to the SDGs, providing insights into sustainable teaching systems.

In-person classes exhibited hotspots in transportation and energy consumption. Scenarios I and II, involving virtual and hybrid classes, increased eutrophication potential and water scarcity due to higher food consumption, negatively impacting SDGs. However, all scenarios showed positive contributions to SDGs 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

This research integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the environmental and social impacts of classes at the Federal University of São Carlos, Sorocaba campus in Brazil. Three scenarios were analyzed: (I) virtual classes, (II) hybrid classes and (III) in-person classes with improved energy efficiency.

The study primarily focuses on environmental and social impacts, excluding other factors like class quality. Integrating Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment could provide a more holistic evaluation in the future.

The methodology adopted offers valuable insights for managing the impacts of university performance and aligning teaching systems with the SDGs. It enables institutions to make informed decisions for sustainability in education.

The research emphasizes the importance of considering social impacts alongside environmental ones when assessing sustainability in educational institutions. It encourages universities to engage stakeholders in sustainability efforts.

This research innovatively combines LCA and the SDGs in the context of university education providing a replicable methodology for evaluating and enhancing sustainability in teaching systems and from a more quantitative perspective.